The Oceanic Empire
The swamp overflooded. Any swamp life had been forced to join the sea life - all animals and creatures had some kind of special bond that a human didn't have. The Duke and Vallance climbed out of the pit, as it started to pour down with water. The duo headed for the castle, and were very lucky they weren't spotted. Without warning, one of the walls that surrounded the castle collapsed. Two whales had smashed it down with their flukes. The water defences had also obliterated, causing more water to seep into the castle and surroundings. Several soldiers from the west arrived, in boats. They fired their bows, only annoying the whales. That was when lots of sharks leaped into the air, and landed on several boats, smashing them apart. The soldiers in those boats swam for their lives, as fins cut the water around them. It was a bloodbath, as the water went red. There were more archers on the castle towers, and they started firing. This sea life strike force ducked under the water, as the arrows just floated. The sharks then circled the whole castle, something of a moat having formed around it, showing a sign they weren't giving up. Sharkros wheeled through the castle doors. He approached the expanded cellar, which wasn't flooded, but full of some of the Lumbridge refugees. "I'm assuming the others are on the upper levels of the castle - I will give them a similar message. Lumbridge is under my control, and your hopes of resistance have been crushed. If you co-operate, you will live another day. If you don't, it's not my fault you are slaughtered like animals." ---- Raef stood by Harmon who lay motionless in his bed in the palace cellar, having been shifted after the sea life had moved on to land. "Oh Harmon, so lucky are you to sleep such a dark time through," Raef noted, putting his hand to his head. Harmon's body temperature had definitely increased, yet his heartbeat was still irregular and he showed no signs of moving. "I wonder if there'll even be a world for you to wake up to," he added. The door in the cellar swung open and Dancus entered, holding an iron arrow in his hand. "Raef, I hate to break it to you but we don't have the time for heartfelt discussion!" Dancus exclaimed. "Right, right, I'm coming, and are we ready for battle?" Raef asked. "Not really, no. But that's the fun of it!" "So you intend on seeing the Sea Life Army off with an iron arrow?" "Not at all, this just came through the window, a group of angry citizens are rioting, demanding something be done! The sea creatures are attacking, and they're heading straight for us!" "Well it's no good fighting amongst ourselves." "No, that's why we sent the Paladins to chase them off." "Right." "Now less chat! Let's get to work!" Raef locked the cellar's door and followed Dancus strolling along a corridor. They passed a broken window with a rock lying next to it on the Palace floor. Paladins passed them, each nodding to their leader, equipped with swords. "So what do we do?" Raef asked. "I was hoping you could tell us that," Dancus said. "Where's Raiah?" "She's...around, I got her to tidy up a bit of a 'mess' outside with an angry citizen who started arguing with a Paladin." "For goodness sake! There's blood on the floor and the battle hasn't even begun!" "Or has it?" hissed a mysterious voice. Raef turned round to see Mother Mallum outside the castle doors, with an army of sea slugs already in the city. Water was gushing in slowly, but it was enough moisture for the giant squids bashing down the city gates. "Saradomin save us all..." Dancus muttered. "You could just surrender to the might of the sea slugs, or have your whole city laid to waste!" Mother Mallum cackled, as several of the rioters, citizens and city guards had been tied up in a huge web, guarded by spider-like octopi. "We're doomed!" shouted a panicking Paladin, as he ran off. He was then caught by a giant squid and thrown away. ---- Inside the Dark Wizards' Tower, Norbert and Orca had heard the cries from below as several potions had shattered and lethal smoke had flooded the tower below choking the other wizards. "Is it safe to go down there?" Norbert asked, observing the smoke billowing around them. "This smoke isn't dangerous to us, it's only when it's mixed with another of the potions which triggers an explosion," Orca replied, sniffing at the air. "But that downstairs is going to hang some time, luckily it doesn't radiate too far." "Are you sure?" "Not entirely, so let's close that trapdoor." Orca slammed it shut, but caused a vial to tumble off of a table, but he caught it in time. "What potion is that?" Norbert asked, watching it glow a strong shade of orange. "That's the potion that triggers an explosion," Orca answered, watching gleefully as the liquid inside flickered slightly. "See, there's some of the smoke getting inside it now, it's making miniature explosions." "So we can use this?" "Yes, we can blow a few of our seabound friends into ashes with this." "Wait a minute, why aren't these potions listed with the Wizards' Guild?" "You might be in charge of the Wizards' Tower but you're not in charge of us, well, now it's only me left here I guess." "So how do we get to the battlefield? Teleport?" "No." "Why not?" "There's something in the air, something feels out of place, someone or something's tampering with the magic, a much higher force." "Probably our finned friends down below." "No, it's more powerful then them." "So how do we get there? We can't go down the trapdoor." "Out of the window." "Right, but won't the sea creatures see us if we're coming out of the window in broad daylight to blow them up?" "Probably!" ---- "So... He's Here..." "Yes, I knew you would feel it too" "Can we do something? What did He came for?" "That is still blurry, I'm afraid..." "But... You were chosen by Him from all seers to aid me! Why is He keeping this from you?" "I do not know. As I explained to you yesterday, there are some things that no mortal can know" "May the grace of Him be with all of us" ---- "Raef...listen to me. Run. Just run," Dancus said coolly and calmly. He stood adamant as the sealives had began to advance. "Why should I run when I've got the entire city at stake? I'm the leader here!" Raef said. He was losing his calm. "Well, I'm must not have informed you, King Raef," The sealives had nearly reached the two of them. "but I possess powers far beyond your imagination. Observe." Dancus lifted his hand up. The sealives were mere inches from him and Raef. Dancus, with all of his concentration, focused on one grimy peon. He clenched his fist, and the peon ceased to move. "Tlk`ano clansctch mec`ro plkan!" he hollered, bewildered, in his native tongue. Dancus raised his free hand and slowly pinched all of his fingers together. "What the hell are you doing, Frumac?" Raef said, in the thick of the advance. The peon bursted into flame. "Telekinesis? Thermokinesis?" "What'd I tell you?" Dancus said, chopping off the head of a nearing sealife. "What on Gielinor was that?" "That was magic, but without runes." "How?!" "No time for questions and answers, let's just say I'm very skilled!" ---- Norbert glanced at the swarms of sea life, all of them swarming the land in distinct formations. Orca turned to Norbert with a sad expression on his face. "We have to go, it's now or never, the sea life are not watching this wall, but they might turn their attention to it soon," Orca said. "Where's the rope?" Norbert asked. "There is none, just use the bricks as ledges, some stick out, some are pushed in." "Why can't we just chance magic?" "The magical properties of the runes are shifting, some kind of interference, if we teleport we could end up anywhere, the middle of the desert, the depths of Mort Myre or the edge of the Wilderness; believe it or not, this is the safer option." "Oh alright then, but I'm only doing this to save the world!" Orca went out of the glassless window first and managed to gain a foothold on a protruding piece of stone. "Come on Norbert, it's easy once you get the hang of it!" Orca called. "I'll come out when I see you've got your path sorted," Norbert replied. "Of course you will," Orca murmured sarcastically. "What? I can't hear you!" "Keep it down, the sea life have ears you know!" Orca was well on his way down, and Norbert managed to climb out, and tried to mimic Orca's movement down the wall. "Splendid view of Falador," Norbert noted, his voice shaking as the wind blew at him. "What in the name of Zamorak is that?" Orca asked, as he saw a strange silver shape drifting above the area near Draynor Village. "I dread to think." Orca turned back to the wall, judging where to place his foot next. As he did, Norbert looked down to see how far up they were. Shocked by the height, he lost grip and ended up hanging to the wall with one hand, but that too was beginning to lose grip. "Saradomin help me!" Norbert exclaimed as he dangled in the air. "Keep it down!" Orca hissed. "Keep it down? I'm dangling quite high above the ground while an army of vicious sea creatures prepare to march past here and slaughter any human they can find!" "Do not acknowledge ho high you are, just close your eyes and calm down." "I shall never trust you again!" Norbert snapped as he closed his eyes and breathed deeply. "Now try and hold on to something, feel around for any ledge." "I think I've found something! By my left foot!" "Try and get your foot in place Norbert." "Yes, I think I can do that." As Norbert placed his foot firmly on to a stone ledge, he felt it begin to shake, and it began to crumble and fell apart, causing Norbert to accidentally let go with his hand. "Norbert!" Orca exclaimed as his new companion fell towards him. Norbert hit Orca with such force that he too lost balance, and then both of them felt themselves falling a considerable distance, awaiting to hit the ground and break every bone in their bodies. As they screamed out they shut their eyes, and they came to an abrupt stop, but none of their bones were broken, in fact, they hadn't felt their feet touch the ground. "Dare I open my eyes?" Norbert asked. Orca opened his and looked to see that they had been caught by the long gnarled branch of a dead, rotting tree. "We're safe! The tree caught us!" Orca exclaimed. Norbert opened his eyes and saw that they were both suspended on a large branch of a tree, directly above a large jagged rock. "Now that was lucky," Orca noted. "And to think we tried to cut these trees down earlier this year!" "Not wanting to spoil your happiness, but this isn't the safest of places; the branch is snapping," Norbert said. "Let's get off of it then!" Orca exclaimed as he and Norbert jumped off of the branch and on to the ground below, which was not too far below. They watched as the branch hit the large rock, snapping in two and splintering badly. "That could have been us," Norbert said, turning pale with fear as he looked at the damaged branch. "Well it wasn't, and now we have to keep moving," Orca said. "Do you still have the potions?" "Yes, they're all fine." Orca produced eight vials from his pocket, the glass was cracked slightly in places, but not enough to shatter it. "How many explosions can you create with this?" Norbert asked. "Around four, but if we have enough left over we could do five," Orca replied, studying the liquid inside. "We've got company!" A large squid had managed to pull itself on to land, and was slamming its tentacles into the dead trees. After a few hits, the trunks began to splinter and fall. "Run!" Orca exclaimed. "I'm right behind you!" Norbert called as the squid pulled itself further along. Orca and Norbert reached the gap in the Falador wall which was not too far from the Dark Wizards' Tower and entered the city. As they did, they were surrounded by a group of lobsters carrying arrows in their pincers. "Prepare to die upright freaks!" yelled a lobster. "Oh my Saradomin, they can talk!" Norbert exclaimed as they became cornered. "If we survive the following explosion Norbert, we can count ourselves extra lucky!" Orca exclaimed as he dropped two of the potions on the floor. The two types of smoke wafted together and then created an almighty bang which threw the two wizards to the floor along with the squid and lobsters. The brickwork of the wall was blasted apart as dust and stone rained down upon the scene. The smoke of the dust clouded the area, making it impossible to see a thing... ---- Tarqinder, Mark and Tony had barricaded themselves into the White Knight's Castle, citizens had been slain in the streets as the footsoldiers consisting of crabs and snapping turtles marched along the streets. Lobsters had begun to tear away at the city wall, with pieces of brickwork crumbling away. Sir Amik had lead his remaining White Knights to battle, but due to their numbers they were not gaining the upper hand. Suddenly, the room shook and the glass in the windows shattered across the floor. "The city is being destroyed yet we do nothing to stop it!" Tarqinder exclaimed. "We need a plan, and a good one at that," Tony added. "Where's Jake? He's good with a spellbook!" Mark suggested. "Him, his friend and his parents are blasting the footsoldiers away with any spell they can find. Last thing I heard he'd turned a crab's leg into a pile of gold coins! The thing is, we don't even know if they're alive, we told them to keep fighting while we defended the castle," Tarqinder replied. "The troops are arriving, and if they're alive they can't face them alone. We have to help them; even if we go down fighting." "You're right, this kingdom is descending into anarchy as are many others, we don't have time to devise plans, we must fight, and fight we shall!" Tarqinder carried his sword in his hand, Mark followed carrying a dagger and his spellbook and Tony was marching after them with his whip, each one of them was ready to fight, possibly for the last time. ---- "Don't you see it, Colonel, it's the perfect time to take Falador!" Yelled a Misthalinian officer through a commorb. "I don't care, I just want to help this innocent people survive! Send me my platoon now!" Yelled back Colonel Rottham. "But that's Asgarnia what you are trying to defend!" "And will be Misthalin soon if they aren't stopped now" "I hope you're right, Gerard, or we will be doomed against the Asgarnians" Said the officer, and the communication ended. Mr. Rottham stood up from his hiding position, he found himself surrounded by big crabs and lobsters. "Ah, shouldn't you be on a pot?" he said while rushing to them, sword in hand, he jumped over them with his boots made of steel, brought out a page torn from an old book and threw some runes in the air, the crabs had just jumped to cut off his head, he dodged while the sealife surrounding him catched fire. The remaining animals rushed to fight, and he slew them one by one, he walked to the castle entrance, and found his wife fighting the pests with explosive potions. "Where the hell is that kid? I thought he went to speak with the old lady, how long could that take?" Mr. Rottham asked to his wife. Suddenly, a fist fell from the sky, blasting several creatures away, a troop of around 30 soldiers armored lightly entered, the castle, leading them, was Jake. ---- The situation in Ardougne was bad, the sea slugs had captured the Palace and had possessed a number of the Paladins. The river flowing through the city was now home to a patrol of eels, some emitting electricity, some not. Mother Mallum had nested herself on the ground floor of the Palace which had water flooding in, keeping her skin moist. Raef, Dancus and Raiah had fled to the sewers in search of a haven but had been forced to abandon the comatized Harmon in the basement, and it had begun to flood with water; and sea slugs. "What now?" Raiah asked. "Dancus my good man, can't you use your telekinesis to move all these beasts back into the sea?" Raef asked. "It's not that easy to move things, besides, it puts a nasty strain on my body," Dancus replied. "I never asked Dancus, where did you get these abilities?" Raiah asked. "A gift from the gods." "You've got magic flowing through your blood," Raef noted. "The sea life are getting stronger, they're going mad with power in fact, we need to find the old team and start a rebellion, and if we die Raiah can make some Verto Fabrica Nox for us!" "No thank you, seeing what it did to Harmon it's less than appealing," Raef stated. "What do you mean by the old team?" Raiah asked. "In Ardougne, there were a group of us; a large group in fact. Me, Tarqinder and Tony de Fillo, they were the two men who came to visit us Rai; then there was Mark Theobald and Jake, they were wizards in training; Veedi Limstrood, a gnome who left her home with the economy crash; Farrell and Darako, two ex-criminals from Varrock; Bruce Brysworth the explorer, Norbert, Henry and the other wizards, a member of the TzHaar, even a member of the Sea Life Army and an Ardougnese guard!" Dancus exclaimed. "You were with a member of the Sea Life Army?" "Believe it or not he was a nice guy; well, a nice lobster, and from what I heard in the Palace they're calling themselves the Oceanic Empire now." "Well they're not an empire yet, and let's hope they don't ever become strong enough too form one," Raef added. ---- "Damn these crabs are persistent!" Tarqinder moaned as he slammed his sword into one of them which was lying near a pile of rubble from the Falador wall. "Quite an explosion," Mark said, waving his hand to move the dust away as he coughed. "Let's hope it was a good one," Tony grinned. "Tony! Don't be so rude! Look, there are bodies in it," Tarqinder said, "help me get them out." Tarqinder, Mark and Tony started to pull away the bricks to reveal Norbert and Orca lying on the floor, their bodies bruised and bloody. "Why, it's Norbert!" Mark exclaimed, pulling his body out. "What? Are we dead?" Norbert asked, his voice dry as he gasped for breath. "You're alive Norbert, it's me Mark Theobald." "Good to see a face I recognize!" Tarqinder heaved Orca up, and he too opened his eyes and mouth as he returned to consciousness. "How did we survive that?" Orca asked. "I said we were using charms at the Wizards' Guild, looks like some of the effects were passed on to my body, and that protected us both from too much injury," Norbert said. "What are you doing here?" Tarqinder asked. "We were trying to stop Zavistic Rarve from allowing a storm of ash to sweep the kingdoms." "Zavistic Rarve? Why on Gielinor would he do that?" "Sea slugs, that's what." "We encountered them a few days ago, they attacked Falador and Ardougne simultaneously, awful battle." "Not as awful as this one," Orca noted as he eyed the water surrounding the White Knight's Castle giving off a slightly red hue. "Come on, there's a battle to be won," Tarqinder said, leading the group away. ---- Guthix flinched. The energy field around his dreaming body was getting stronger. He was deep in thought, and receiving nightmares. The skies turned black, as the rain turned green. Forests were burning, with more than one Wilderness being formed. Humans were the problem, laughing it away in their palaces. The seas shrank, as massive boats were over-fishing. Whole species became extinct, as the grassy fields became concrete. This is what the humans will do to this world. They are going crazy with power, and no one could stop them from burning the world. And there's only one alternative. Start again. Purge. ---- The town had been evacuated; as they stumbled through the deserted streets neither Bruce, Hecate nor Vadas saw a hint of any other being. But as they passed the castle, they heard voices coming from the courtyard, and investigated. “Wow...” was all Bruce could say. For spread out in the courtyard were row after row of soldiers, weapons glistening, armour shining even though the sky was black. Catapults were lined up along the edges, and knights on armoured void beasts patrolled between the companies. Archers were lined up along the walls. Then, from behind them, they heard footsteps – vast, heavy footsteps in perfect timing. Bruce looked around. “I can’t believe it – the Royal Army. The Royal Army, for crying out loud!” Hecate and Vadas turned too, and saw that coming down the hills in the distance was the largest army either of them had ever seen – even larger than Hecate’s own. Each soldier was in turquoise, runite armour and carrying huge swords. They would have watched for even longer had a group of soldiers not appeared at that point and seize them gruffly before dragging them off... ---- Kroak and his squad infiltrated the Ardougnese sewers. They managed to fight off several Sea slugs, but they had to get to the castle and proceed with their plan. But there was one face they didn't expect to find down here. "Sir Raef!" Kroak said aloud, approaching Raef and his group. "Is that really you?" Raef replied. "Yeah mate! We have bad news, and worst news. To hear the bad news, it's the fact that lots of Penguin spies have been released from the zoo, and now an army of Penguins is marching, armed with mounted lava launchers. Worst still, I lost my hat!" Kroak said, smiling. "On your own?" "Well, for the minute, yes. Dancus and Raiah have gone to try and find King Harmon's body - he's in some sort of coma. I told them I'd keep their path out clear, but it's not an easy task with all them sea slugs." "We got a few of them on the way here, that big one went back in the palace I think-" "Mother Mallum?" Raef asked worriedly. "Yeah, she'd been fiddling about near the zoo, she probably released the penguins." "We have to warn Dancus and Raiah!" Raef exclaimed, "come on!" And on that note, Raef, Kroak and his squad of warriors made their way out into the city above... ---- “So...” a large, gruff soldier said, “What were you and your friends doing here, Mr Brysworth?” “It’s a very long story,” Bruce said, “And if your operation is at the stage I think it is, then you won’t have time to hear it all.” “I’ve got time,” the soldier snarled, his huge, stubbly face grinning at him menacingly. “All the time in the world...” “Doesn’t look like it, though,” Bruce said, looking past the soldier. The soldier turned to see, passing through the door, a tall, slightly chubby man, his coat adorned with medals. “Sergeant, your work is done here,” a man in armour next to the chubby man declared, “Please leave the room for the general.” “But...?” was all that the sergeant managed before he was hustled out of the room. Once he was gone, the general turned to Bruce. “Mr Brysworth – an honour.” They shook hands. “Many people have inspired by your fame and your adventurist behavior. But although it inspires some, for others it brings... interest.” “How so?” Bruce asked. “A few days ago you were woken by a family in the night. You investigated the peninsula, using your civil rights to override the strict instructions of Asgarnian soldiers. Then, days later, you emerge in Falador. And hours later you’re in Lumbridge. With two Zamorakians. That makes you suspicious to us. Especially since one is a master of necromancy and the other is his old apprentice – and now has romantic interests in you.” Bruce bolted forward. “What have you done to her? Where are they?” “Relax, Mr Brysworth,” the general said, “They are both perfectly unharmed. But the problem is we can’t let you out of here with two Zamorakian magi by your side. Unless, in return, you do something for us – first.” “What?” Bruce asked. “This castle was taken by the sea creatures just a few hours ago. We were able to besiege it and temporarily oust them, but we know that there will be another attack before nightfall. Fortunately, we've got three quarters of the Misthalin Army here to help defend the town and push the sea life back to the ocean trenches.” “So what do you want from me?” “Miss Hecate told me that you’re a very good strategic planner and tactician. Many people know you and wish to follow you, Bruce.” Bruce let this run over in his head, then he realized what they were implying. “Your slice of the military is waiting,” the general said. “But first we must escort you to the plan room.” ---- More water poured into Falador, as it rained even more. Sharkros wheeled his way into the city, sighting several White Knights, guards and Asgarnian soldiers fighting his brethren. He suddenly saw a hammerhead shark being beheaded. Rage rose up from Sharkros, and he unleashed an electrical storm onto the soldiers, killing them. Sharkros made his way to the castle, where he would finish his long, massively complicated plan that had took him years to put together. This plan had involved the freak weather, Guthix, formation of his empire and Mother Mallum. Sir Amik drew his sword when he saw Sharkros enter his abode. Before he could speak, Sharkros cut him off. "I see you are in charge of Asgarnia. Being a wise, decisive leader as yourself, you must surrender, or see your kingdom burn in the sea!" Sir Amik sighed. He couldn't win this, so in the end he nodded sadly. ---- There were stronger forces than footsoldiers entering the city now, and Tarqinder, Mark, Tony, Norbert and Orca were fleeing the city, they knew they couldn't fend them off alone. The northern city gate was in sight now, and as they approached Tarqinder dodged a death blast being shot at a persistent lobster. Looking up to the city wall, he saw Jake, his parents and Iyla armed with battlestaves. "You four! Join us! The full army are approaching the city now!" Tarqinder exclaimed. "Not him again," grumbled Tony as he glimpsed Jake. "Coming!" Jake exclaimed as he and his group climbed down a rope to reach the ground. "Where are you going?" asked a Misthalanian officer. "To safety, and if you have any sense you'll join us," said Mr. Rottham. "No, I'm afraid I can't do that; I fight to the death," the officer said, glimpsing the approaching creatures which were swarming through the Park. "Good luck, and hurry, those sea creatures are coming!" "That's our cue to leave," Mark said, as the group sprinted out of the city gates. Outside, a man lay dying on the floor with a wound in his neck, he was coughing blood and his skin was turning yellow as several sea slugs swarmed around him. "Last time we met, didn't I make it clear that you slugs should push off!" Tarqinder snapped, slaughtering a horde of the tiny creatures. "I'm sorry old friend," Tony murmured as he took his dagger and cut the dying man's throat. "Tony de Fillo! Not even I expected you to be so cruel!" Mark exclaimed. "Oh shut up, you little pansy! That was mercy, something you wouldn't know about living in your little bubble, you've never had to experience anything unfair or cruel!" Tony shot back. "Both my parents were killed, I'd say that was pretty unfair!" Mark grabbed Tony by his throat, and Tony put his dagger to Mark's. "Stop it! Stop it!" Norbert exclaimed, pulling the two men apart. "And you think us Zamorakians are bad?" asked Orca. "No comment," Norbert added. "You called that man old friend Tony, who was he?" Jake asked. "We stayed in Falador Park together after the mist first arrived in Varrock; we ran together, he was from Varrock too, we were both so scared, we watched people dying at the hands of them things, he kept me going because he was full of hope, but look where being good got him; dead," Tony said angrily. "Right, now I think we need to get as far away as we can from here," Tarqinder suggested. "Mark, Jake, Mr. Rottham, Mrs. Rottham, Ilya, Norbert and his friend-" "Companion, not friend," Norbert added. "I saved your life!" Orca exclaimed. "Alright, he's not that bad." "Right, yes, as I was about to say, you seven are very good with magic, so can you teleport us all to safety?" Tarqinder asked. "What's your name?" Mr. Rottham asked. "Tarqinder, my good sir." "Right Tarqinder, I take it your not very knowledgable when it comes to magic, so I need you to realize that teleporting isn't that easy in large numbers, for the wrong combination of runes could be dangerous, especially when like us you're carrying so many; one error and you could end up in the Abyss." "I see." "And we can't teleport to anywhere, there are laws when it comes to mainstream teleporting which is what we're doing, and these laws allow us only to teleport to selected cities, and unfortunately all these cities are being swarmed by the creatures." "But Norbert, you and your companion are from the Wizards' Guild, am I right?" "No actually, Orca here is from the Dark Wizards' Tower; we don't allow Zamorakians in our Guild," Norbert said. "For goodness sake! We're witnessing what could result in the destruction of Gielinor itself, so can we please put our religious differences to one side?" Mrs. Rottham asked. "Thank you," Orca said. "You are from the Wizards' Guild Norbert, you are one of the main wizards there, surely you can bypass these laws?" Tarqinder asked. "It's very difficult to break the wizarding laws without any books, so it'll take us quite a while, and we can't reach the Wizards' Guild because everyone there is being manipulated by Zavistic Rarve who's got a sea slug on his neck," Norbert answered. "This day is getting better by the minute," Iyla added. ---- The land to the east of Falador was empty of people; the Red Mist had chased everyone out of Varrock and Barbarian Village and a number of eels had attacked Edgeville by hiding in the River Lum. The dead trees surrounding Draynor Manor were swaying in the wind, the Manor was seemingly empty, but there was activity around the northern side of the grounds. The eerie red glow of the Mist was drifting between the trees, each one hungry. A lone Barbarian was running through the trees to the north having just seen many members of his village eaten alive. He came to a standstill, trying to catch his breath. He had tried to hide in Edgeville only to find the eels attacking, and then he had decided to try and hide in the most derelict location he knew; the Manor. He leaned on the fencing surrounding the grounds and then pulled himself over it landing directly on top of a gravestone. There was a sound though, coming from the distance, it sounded like hundreds of tiny creatures fluttering about. "It's them things!" grunted the Barbarian who looked around, expecting to see them coming towards him. The Mist were not very fast in large numbers as they had to try and keep together, the Barbarian had seen the pace at which they had reached his village and he knew he could outrun them. He could not see them everywhere he looked, so he backed away and hid behind a gravestone, believing they would try and attack from behind. He sat behind the grave and could still hear the creatures approaching, yet he could not see them. The sound grew ever louder, and then he looked upwards to see a swarm of them moving through the sky above him getting ever closer, but by then it was too late to move; he was outnumbered. The insects ate away at him and within a short space of time he was nothing but a skeleton with a helmet on its head and a pile of rags by its feet. ---- Dancus and Raiah sprinted up cases of stairs in the Ardougne Palace. Things were definitely getting bad. Both of the lower floors were already flooded, and the salty-sweet smell of the ocean was already beginning to permeate the second floor. They arrived at the Throne Room. "Well, this is certainly a bit of deja vu," Dancus stated. "Thankfully the Throne Room should be empty this time." Raiah stepped forth and pushed open the doors. Dancus could see in his mind's eye a memory of the duel that had taken place here only two months earlier. "We've got to get out of here before Sharkros overtakes the entire city. We need outside help! Now where is the key to the basement?" Raiah asked, gathering Raef's important things. "But I take it that the Asgarnians are preoccupied with their gastropodial problem, and the Misthalians are tied up with the Red Mist," Raiah gathered. "That only leaves Kharidians, Entranans, Karamjans, ogres, dwarves, gnomes and trolls." "But ogres, dwarves, gnomes, and trolls all dislike us as of now, the Entranans are peaceful, and Kharidian Desert and Karamja are too far away," added Dancus. "We're trapped. Caught up in a trap Lathas helped set two months ago!" The door behind them began to creak, overfilling with water. "Wuh-oh." Tiny streams of water sprung up from holes in the ancient teak door. They all were waiting for the inevitable flood of water. ... ... FLOUSH! The door snapped and a tsunami of water exploded into the Throne Room. Dancus raised up his hand, and the flow of water stopped. Frozen. "What the..." Raiah stumbled. "My powers at work. Now let's get out of here." Dancus jumped up on the ice, and tele'd the ice into the shape of a slide down the staircases. "Come on!" Raiah folowed suit, and the two of them slid down into the Oceanic Empire's dark, watery heart. As they reached the bottom of the staircase they saw the large silhouette of Mother Mallum at the other end of the passage, slithering about near the cellar door. "Sorry Harmon," murmured Dancus. The two of them ran out of the Palace, unnoticed by the mollusks. ---- Fort Avias whirled into action. It hovered over Falador, with the power of Armadyl's essence. It was said this was his last gift... The walls of Falador castle were being pounded down. Sharkros looked out of the window, only to see a flying castle, firing molten lava at him. He dodged, and started shouting commands. It was obvious he had factored something like this into his plan, and was prepared to combat it. A whole squad of hundreds of flying fish arrived in the area. They were armed with explosive launchers. Operated by clockwork, with springs and other innovations of the fifth age. What the Fort had in speed and firepower didn't make up for strong defence against unexpected, quick attacks. Armadyl didn't grant the fort with the strongest metal, or even a force field. The flying fish swarmed over, and bombarded the fort. There was a massive explosion over Falador, with pieces of the castle flying all over. Sharkros cackled in victory. For if it weren't for his quick thinking, he would be dead, and the sea life wouldn't be the conquerors of Gielinor. As the sky became filled with dust and smoke from the explosion, Tarqinder and the group watched from the ground. "There goes our last hope," Tarqinder murmured. "What was that?" Jake asked. "Something we're not fully sure of." "That was Fort Avias," Tony announced. "Some of the last Aviantese who defended the world from above; and it looks like Sharkros thinned out their numbers." "The irony of it," Tarqinder murmured. "What do we do now?" Iyla asked. "Iyla, isn't it?" "Yes, that's right." "Well Iyla, I'm not one to say this, but I think all we can do is run." "You're not running away from them are you?" Norbert asked, disappointment in his voice. "Well what do you propose we do?" "I say we blast that shark on wheels back into the sea!" Jake exclaimed. "Son, this is why we didn't trust you with the giant spiders in the basement when you were nine, you'd get yourself killed," Mr. Rottham stated. "I'm twice that age now! And I would have lived anyway!" Jake replied. "Using runes is completely out of the question!" Orca snapped, stopping the Father-Son Fight. "Who says?" asked Jake. "Me; now all of you listen! There's something much more powerful than Aviantese and the Sea Life Army or Oceanic Empire or whatever they're calling themselves now; whatever it is it was tampering with the magical force in the runes." "That would explain why Thompson injured himself, that death blast he tried went straight back at him, he nearly fell from the city wall!" Mrs. Rottham exclaimed. "Hmmm... I've heard that before from someone I don't remember..." Jake whispered, trying to remember. "Now, as you can see we don't have a plan, so I would suggest we run!" Tarqinder exclaimed as he glimpsed a large squid climbing over the Falador wall. "What's that?" Mark asked, looking in the distance. "It's ash, from Crandor's volcano!" Norbert exclaimed. "Sharkros infiltrated the Wizards' Guild while we were trying to stop it, looks like even he didn't realize the danger he's going to cause!" ---- The Castle had been reorganized into what it originally was intended to be – a fortification guarding Misthalin's southernmost borders, before Lumbridge built up around it and it became an administrative center. In the core of the castle, a large number of men were gathered round a central table, shouting over each other in an attempt to put their points across. Bruce followed behind the general, who had introduced himself as General Meyers, a veteran of several major Misthalanian campaigns. “Alright, alright, settle down,” General Meyers ordered. The shouting stopped, but there was still talking. “I said, quiet.” The room fell silent. “Now, we know we have two hours at most until the sea creatures attack. I also know that our soldiers are experts in man-to-man combat, not fighting foot-long crustaceans. Perhaps the most difficult part is that they have the advantage of fighting in the swamp, in which they have high maneuverability whereas we will get bogged down. Unfortunately we have no way whatsoever of gauging their strength and so we might be fighting on the defensive for a long time. We've received royal orders for a strong defensive line throughout the forest but, as I said, we could be there for several days.” A self-important general spoke loudly. “I think that the longer we are on the defensive the worse things get. The swamps have not held any advantage to us for a long time other than the occasional tidal surge; but with three miles between the town and the coast it’s not as if it’ll cause that much damage in the long term.” “What are you talking about, Skulliard?” Meyers asked. “Completely destroying the swamps will give us a massive advantage. A line of mages and fire-wielding warriors up front in a broad line will let us torch the swamps and any beasts within. If they survive they’ll be outside their environment in a hot, scorched landscape and we will have completely removed their bridgehead. And over the years we can use the swamps for farming and expanding the town.” “I object!” cried another officer, “We should go in and fight these beasts conventionally! They think they can discipline themselves like men; we’ll soon see whether they can fight like men too!” “Preposterous!” a voice called, “The swamps are impossible to traverse and should we enter them we’ll get caught up in the undergrowth after a few hundred bounds and set upon by the sea creatures!” “What about an arrow bombardment? Shoot them out first then attack.” “Call for the navy! Have them blockade their rear and we’ll starve them out!” “You fool; the navy in Draynor is burning! Have you not heard?” “They show no mercy to us and neither should we to them! Flood the swamp with burning tar!” The room once again descended into shouting and arguing, a war of egos. “Enough, enough, ENOUGH!” General Meyers bellowed, “We are defending an entire kingdom and here you are bickering like schoolchildren and goblins! We have two thirds of the army collected in Lumbridge and you think that you can squander them in idealistic battle plans?” “Or...” Bruce said humbly, emerging from beside the general, “We can draw the majority of their troops into the forest. Use the goblins to help us fight – then we double-cross them to finally remove them from the forest. By destroying the forest itself. The fire spreads to the swamp, incinerating yet more of them. Meanwhile, we send out mobile divisions on a wide pincer movement down their flanks to the mining pits. Troops follow down these corridors, we have them surrounded on all corners, and finally we fire with our catapults into the swamp to force them out. We will have a strong shield wall to defend against them, and we can also lay off fires and traps to ensnare yet more of them. Push the majority of them back to their beachhead, upon which point we open fire on them from both sides but keep our troops in case they have further reinforcements under water. We also fire into the sea to remove this threat. Then it’s just a simple matter of using cavalry and Void Beasts to sweep out any remaining creatures. It’s as simple as that.” For a few moments, the room was in utter silence. Then, slowly, one officer started to clap. Then another. And soon Bruce was receiving a standing ovation. As it died down Meyers spoke up again. “Mr Brysworth, that is by far the best military thinking I have ever heard. Had you been in the military you would have been in my shoes by now. It’s an excellent plan indeed. But to make sure... you will be put in charge of the 1st Mobile Division, just to make sure your plan goes perfectly. You’ll have communication with General Horace of 2nd Mobile to ensure your movements are coordinated. Now, General Skulliard will be in charge of...” Bruce didn't know how long the battle would last, or how big his division was going to be. But he was well aware that he would facing a most significant threat. ---- The ash was edging ever closer, and the wizards were beginning to suspect something was wrong. "Zavistic! The charms are not working!" exclaimed Ibrahim as he ran to Zavistic who looked out of the window. "Buth Guthix has been summoned, and that's all that matters," Zavistic stated. "What in Saradomin's name are you talking about?" "The plan has worked," he stated, but his voice was becoming weak and his skin began to turn a sickly yellow. "Oh my Saradomin! What is wrong with you? Zavistic, wake up!" "This body is weakening," murmured Zavistic who turned on his side revealing the tiny sea slug. It removed itself from his neck revealing a small scar and began to slither away, but Ibrahim slammed down his staff on to it, killing it. "We've got a problem here," Ibrahim murmured as the ash hit the mainland... Oceanic Empire, The Oceanic Empire, The